Original CD Pressings to Avoid

i can't even listen to the Anesini remaster. to my ears, it sounds like all of the life was sucked out of the music.

 

All Things Must Pass - the very first pressings from Japan (and perhaps the UK as well), sounded very close to the original vinyl. Except for a complete volume drop on the title track, I think it is a great mastering. I agree with you if you are talking about the early US pressings with the no-noise.

The Wall - After viewing a few threads here, I listened to my first pressing from Japan (50DP) and it compares very favorably to the MFSL, which is pretty good in its own right. I don't know how the US pressings sounded.

I will admit that both of these titles have slightly better "space" and dynamics on original US vinyl, but what can you do?

 

...if you think that's bad please listen to the original CD issue...you'll cringe.

 

I know you didn't ask me but in my opinion the remaster is not better. The VC is the best I have heard.

 

Lamb Lies Down?

I was so excited to get the DE remaster. I put it in. It sounded lifeless. I didn't understand....it was a remaster! This was before I joined the forum. Now I know it's because of the noise reduction. It's terrible. The original is much better, especially the European Virgin/Charisma.

 

I've rather preferred the FTD labeled 'DSD' Elvis Presley remasters to the original CD pressings.

 

Sam Cooke Best the yellow cover one, the remaster sounds clean, but wide stereo, I dont mind it.

 

Funny you should open the thread by mentioning Boz Scaggs's "Silk Degrees"...

One of the first CDs I bought was the original pressing of Boz's "Moments" and thought, "Hmmm, not so sure about this 'perfect sound' thing... this sounds like crap, no match for my oft-listened-to LP!"

It was the first disc I thought of when I saw your thread title.

 

The Wall???

Huh?

This is one of those albums for which a plethora of great and amazing sounding original CD's exist!

Japan 50DP, Japan 48DP, Harvest West Germany, Harvest Japan, Columbia Canadian c2k-36183, heck even the good ol' US is pretty darn good. Granted the Sax remaster and MFSL (I don't like the goosed eq on the MoFi myself) are decent but many of those that I listed easily trump them.

Rick

P.S. Yes the original US ATMP was a huge steaming pile, but the remaster is even worse. I'll stick with a needledrop. The CP28 I've heard was excellent, but I'm not sure it's worth the $ it commands compared to an excellent "free" needledrop.

 

As I understand it, the original U.K. Nimbus pressing of All Things Must Pass is not no-noised (it's noised), and it is said to sound good. The problem is that there are also U.K. Nimbus pressings that are no-noised. I am not sure if you can tell them apart visually.

 

Joni Mitchell, "Court & Spark".

Fortunately, Steve took care of it.

Paul

 

Never heard an original Are You Experienced CD that I really liked. That being said the first remaster's sufffered from heavy handed NR, and were totally awful! The EH release is uber-heavy Digitally Compressed and unlistenable to me as a result. I'd like to believe one day we'll get a great sounding unmessed with AYE, but it's probably an impossible wish.

Rick

 

Pretty much every original Columbia CD pressed in Europe. The titles by Billy Joel, Toto and some of the Bob Dylan ones suck. The original Van der Graaf generator and Bowie CDs from the 80s are also nearly unlistenable, full of noise.

 

I agree. I have a plain, old U.S. fatty (not original pressing, I don't think, but the original mastering with pre-emphasis) and I LOVE it.

 

Considering CDs here, Steve's mastering almost always kills everything before it. What might be interesting is to consider the original CD mastering in and of itself, or at least versus the LP. Sure, the DCC Court and Spark is tops, but is the original CD acceptable? How does the original CD rate against the LP?

The original U.S. Aqualung CD is awful. The DCC gold disc is on a whole other level. The gap is large, in part, because the original is so lousy.

 

Was not aware. Cool, the U.K. sounds a lot less expensive. Love to get one, but if the good and the bad can't be visually discerned it could be a risky purchase.

Rick

 

I do not believe the "noised" U.K. pressing is rated as well as the CP28 issue, but it is considered a good substitute if you cannot find or cannot afford the CP28 issue. This has been discussed before. As I said, I'm just not sure if you can identify the noised version in the bins without actually hearing it.

 

is your complaint of only that they are quiet ? cause thats not a terrible thing. I also think these two cd's dont sound that bad at all.

 

Maybe for some of the albums, but not for all.

The original US Glass Houses and Songs In The Attic are both excellent. On SITA the Japan 35DP is a real audio treat, with a excellent clear sound and wider soundstage. A nice easy analogue listen. Totally wipes the floor with the harsher and digital sounding (in comparison) remaster.

IIRC, I've read a few times in this forum that most of the early Columbia/CBS's were made from really good sources, and in many cases the masters. So if the sound of these is not appealing, then in those cases neither would the master tapes be.

Rick

 

IIRC it's to do with 3 dots or 4 dots after the matrix number.

 

Some if not most of the non-remastered US Columbia Joel titles are good. You'll need the non-remaster of Turnstiles for the original mix of "New York State Of Mind" which also has the original sax solo.

 

I have heard this complaint before along with Chicago 16, which was mentioned earlier in this thread, and I could never understand it as my original copy of these CDs sound fantastic. The reason? My original copies of these titles were Targets and I never understood that those pressings were different before reading these forums.

Back on point I totally concur that the original US Chrysalis "Cricklewwod Green" along with the original RCA Guess Who "Live at the Paramount" could be the two worst CDs of all time.

 

i actually like the original John Denver: Greatest Hits CD. i know i'm pretty much the only person on the forum who does, but to me that's just the way those early '70s John Denver recordings should sound - pinched in the high end with that clanky, metallic 12-string cutting through everything in its path.

all i can say is that i remember why i love John Denver when i listen to the original CD, but i find the remaster completely uninvolving.

the Milt Okun-produced stuff on Bear Family's Anita Carter CD also sounds similar to the original John Denver CD if i remember correctly. i have a feeling that's just how those Milt Okun recordings actually sound.

 

The original Jefferson Airplane CD's (the ones where the catalog numbers were the same "numbers" as the vinyl issues). Tape stretched, loads of hiss, bleed-through. Whew. A mess.

Some of them were even remastered "back in the day", and while they were improvements, the improvements weren't too high.